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    China Cafe

    3.1 (167 reviews)
    InexpensiveChinese
    Closed 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

    China Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    CHINA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - China Cafe

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    Eel fried rice
    Angie W.

    Perfect for a big family. The table fit 10 people easily, with plenty of room in the middle for all the food! They have a good variety of choices on the menu, from more authentic/traditional to more American style, so everyone in our group was able to find something they liked. (Yes, the General Tso's chicken is very good!) We also enjoyed some off-menu eel dishes that were delicious! (It seems they're not on the menu because it's not always available.) This restaurant is in Chinatown, so don't expect easy parking.

    Vic C.

    (Review based on 3.5 stars) China Cafe is located in Chinatown, on a corner. I decided to stop by here on a Friday afternoon, around 2 pm to order some food to go since my husband was becoming quite hangry (I don't know why he always lets himself get so hungry... before realizing). We came in and were greeted by the lady at the counter. She gave us menus to look over. After deciding what we wanted, she ended up helping this customer who had came in after us. I was fine with this but my husband was annoyed (he was hangry remember?) as we had to wait longer. This woman ended up making a watermelon smoothie that he ordered, so that took time. Anyways, we ended up ordering: Number 2, Siu Mai, $4.58 (before 4 pm) prior to tax- This came in an order of 4. Quite oily (maybe even the most oily that I have ever had) but was tasty. Number 6, Chiu Chow, $4.58 (before 4 pm) prior to tax- (also known as fen gao) One of my favorite dumplings that I like to order at dim sum places. The dumpling wrapper is transparent, typically heavily filled with meat, vegetables, etc. This came in an order of 3. Also very oily, but typically this dish comes oily in other restaurants. Number 36, Pan Fried Turnip Cake, $4.58 (before 4 pm) prior to tax- This also came in an order of 3. I really love turnip cakes and always order this when we have dim sum. Tasty but as you would have guessed, this was also incredibly oily. Number 43, Shrimp Rice Roll, $4.88 (before 4 pm) prior to tax- The one item that wasn't that oily was these rice rolls. Came in 3 pieces with large pieces of shrimp. ------------------------ (Total= $20.80 after tax) Please note that the prices are before 4 pm. The prices go up by another $1 after 4 pm. All the items I ordered were medium, as there are sizes of orders you can order that is shown on their menu. I don't think the employee actually asked me what size I wanted but I would have picked medium anyway (unsure of how much each order would be). I appreciated that the employee packed plastic utensils and chopsticks before I had asked. Just as I had mentioned above, the food was really oily. I know that is to be expected because this was made at a restaurant but this was the oiliest dim sum I have ever had (and yes I do frequent restaurants with dim sum regularly). Wait time for our order wasn't too long. I used the restroom, which was clean enough, while I waited. I don't know if I would come back to be honest. There are so many other restaurants here in Chinatown and think I would rather try another place. But the price of the food itself is cheaper than some of the other restaurant menus that I did take a look at though.

    252. On Choy
    Michelle C.

    They honored our request for no garlic or onions and all of the dishes were still extremely flavorful and delicious! On Choy - Had more stalks than leaves, but it was a softened so it wasn't difficult to chew, absorbed the sauce and flavors well! Fish Filet with Chinese Broccoli - Fish was good, the Chinese broccoli could have been cooked a little longer to be easier to bite and chew, but that's just my preference. Beef with Snow Peas - The beef was very savory and the peas and carrots were yummy too! Beef Chow Fun - the thinner noodles is different than what I'm used to, but I liked that the noodles were a little pan fried! Had A LOT of been sprouts

    Eddie K.

    Though this is only my first time in Chicago Chinatown, I can already tell there are two parts to the Chinatown, the new and the old. The new Chinatown is located northerly outside of the gate, it has more contemporary restaurants and trendy hangout places. And the Old Chinatown starts at the gate, more or less for tourist purposes, there were some souvenir shops, stores, and old school restaurants including China cafe. Just by the look of the restaurant, China cafe has seen better days. The inside of the restaurant was dated, quite spacious, many tables, however, maybe due to Covid, not much patrons... Their menu covers a lots of diff foods variety, from traditional Chinese dishes to a full list of dimsum. We ordered some durian bun, egg tarts and etc... I didn't expect much, coz it was very affordable, but they turned out okay! The waitress was very courteous and friendly, she walked us thru the menu and provided us with recommendation. Overall, I have a good experience at China cafe. I give it a soild 3.5 star!

    Boiled shrimp with soy sauce
    Lawrence L.

    Rule of thumb if you're looking for good authentic Chinese food: The restaurant should generally have 3.5 stars on Yelp. This is because there will always be vindictive, non-Chinese 1-star reviewers who are complaining about ambience, cost, or other non-relevant things, or simply upset because the place doesn't serve their favorite but completely inauthentic orange chicken. If a Chinese restaurant has 5 stars, then beware of a PF Chang's style establishment catering to a certain palette and demographic. This place serves authentic Toisan-style Cantonese Chinese food. We ordered the salt and pepper baked pork chops, boiled shrimp, salted fish eggplant clay pot, and clay pot eel over rice. The clay pot eel over rice was not on the menu but was my favorite dish. It is local to Toisan area of China, and it looks a bit like fried rice except that it is cooked in a clay pot to give the rice a burnt and crispy texture and consistent charred flavor. Overall very nice flavor and execution. The sauce for the boiled shrimp had a great flavor of soy sauce, jalapeños, cilantro and sugar, and the shrimp tasted very fresh. The eggplant was similarly well executed and had a nice balance of umami flavor from the salted fish. The pork chops were also nicely breaded and crispy, without overwhelming saltiness or spiciness. Overall, a great food experience.

    66. Boiled Beef in Spicy Szechuan Sauce
    Oscar S.

    Came in for my 1st time today.Food took quite a bit longer than I'd hope.They also told me they dont carry hot mustard.And I ALWAYS have hot mustard on my eggrolls.Had I known that I wouldnt of even ordered eggrolls because to me it IS THAT SERIOUS.Anyway,I ordered boiled beef in Sichuan sauce.Bowl was HUUUUUUGE!!!! Easily could have fed two people and it was delicious!!! Perfect!!!! Will return.Hope they read my review and start having hot mustard.

    Inside
    Kristen S.

    Not a lengthy review as I just popped in for a quick bite while touring China town. This place has a very extensive menu and would be great for dine in. I ordered their pork and vegetable steamed buns to go. Let me honest that the China food scene in Tampa Bay doesn't compare to any Chinatown I have been to and rarely are steamed buns on the menu. Decided to give that a try and NOM NOM NOM! I inhaled them all ha ha. I bun was super soft and sweet and the savory filling was delicious. So I think I need the chef to teach me how to make those. I also got a mango smoothie to go with it which was not too sweet which is good for my taste but it was refreshing. I would come back here for some more of their menu items. Pop in when in Chinatown.

    Nolan F.

    Dim sum options in Chinatown are plenty and none of the ones that I've tried really stand out to me in a super bad or good way. With that said, this is another dim sum restaurant you can't go wrong with. The only dish I felt was overcooked and mushy was my lotus leaf rice. Among the non-dim sum dishes was a hong Kong BBQ options like crispy pork and duck which were scribbled out and we were told they didn't have that. I don't know if that's temporary but those are popular meat dishes you should always be prepared for if possible. Service was fine contrary to other people's experiences.

    Lotus paste stuff fried sesame balls
    Adel W.

    In the middle of old chinatown, I've eaten here maybe 3-4 times and came back yesterday for their 20% off lunch dim sum, which was not bad, but not stellar either. The dishes are very fairly priced, but nothing was crazy delicious, just standard dim sum! The restaurant itself is quite large and clean, but a little on the older side. The best thing I had was the complimentary soup of the day when you order a lunch special; it was a soybean, meat, carrot broth, so good! The lunch specials are very worth it ($5-8, comes with rice and soup and dish) so those I'd recommend if you want a quick lunch. The dim sum ranges from around $2.68-5 for each dish.

    81. Peking Duck

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    6 months ago

    Lady at front desk was very nice and helpful, has a restroom but it charges 2$ per person

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    The china Cafe is out of business. They lost their lease. Brown paper adorns their windows keeping people,away.

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    Dai Yee's Asian Kitchen - Shrimp Broccoli, Beef Tofu (hot), Egg Fried Rice

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    Dai Yee's Asian Kitchen is the underground emperor of late-night Chinese food in Chicago, the spot…read moreyour Uber driver, your bartender, and every chef in the city whispers about when they're truly hungry. Tucked into a no-frills corner on the South Side, Dai Yee's looks modest from the outside, but step in after 10 p.m. and it's pure magic. The room is packed with everybody--sneakerheads, nurses coming off shift, club kids, cops, and couples on first dates who somehow heard the legend. The vibe is chaotic in the best way: woks roaring, orders flying, and that unmistakable perfume of sizzling garlic, ginger, and chili filling the air. The food is straight-up stupid good. The Hong Kong-style salt & pepper smelts are crackly, spicy, and gone in 30 seconds. The beef chow fun has that elusive wok hei (breath of the wok) that most places only dream of, wide rice noodles slick with smoky char and tender flank steak. The black pepper beef tenderloin is velvet-soft, glossy, and aggressively peppery in a way that makes you order extra rice just to survive the happiness. The Singapore noodles are bright curry perfection, and the Mongolian beef is saucy, crispy-edged, and borderline addictive. Portions are straight out of the 90s--massive trays that could feed a family of four for under $15. Cash-only, BYOB, and everything comes out blazing hot in under ten minutes even when the place is slammed. The ladies running the show are legends: fast, funny, and they'll roast you (lovingly) if you can't handle the spice level you asked for. If you leave Chicago without hitting Dai Yee's at least once (preferably at 1 a.m. with a six-pack), you didn't really experience the city. This is real-deal, no-filter, soul-satisfying Chinese food that reminds you why we fall in love with restaurants in the first place. Dai Yee's isn't just a restaurant; it's a Chicago institution in the making. I'd wait in line in a blizzard for those smelts. See you at midnight.

    11/26/25 - I drove by here w/my wife today to eat lunch based on the reviews only to find that this…read moreis a pop up restaurant where you go & pick up your food & go. Dam I was disappointed we went away empty. Based on the reviews I really wanted to try this place but alas it wasn't meant to be. How do you give a rating to a restaurant you didn't eat at? Sorry I can't give you a 5 star rating but it's hard to judge on not eating your food

    Shang Noodle - Chicago - Har Gao

    Shang Noodle - Chicago

    (487 reviews)

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    Such a pleasant, fulfilling surprise. By chance we stopped at Shang Noodle, looked in the window…read moreand was drawn inside. Atmosphere was great; a little noisy, but in a good way. Lots of friend groups and others, enjoying their together time, incredible meals, and just sharing together. Serious stuff: Ambiance was very inviting, letting all clientele the opportunity for unfettered enjoyment. Food was flavorful, sumptuous - just delicious and more than ample. Service; quick, courteous, attentive. Waitstaff proving good information on menu items and pairing suggestions. They checked on us several time, ensuring everything was to our liking. If ever back in Chicago, I will definitely be look for Shang Noodle!

    Went here on a whim last night after reading all the glowing reviews on Yelp. Before that, I…read morechecked out a few eateries on the 4th floor of the Nordstrom building, but nothing really stood out, and honestly, none of them seemed very busy and the one restaurant Lao Sze Chuan was way too expensive, $30+ entrees were average and the place wasn't busy at all. So I decided to try Shang Noodle, which was tucked away on a side street off Grand Ave., just steps from Michigan Ave. It's across from the Nordstrom building, past Labriola's, down some steps and about a block away located on the south side of the street. As soon as I walked in, and I wasn't expecting this but the restaurant was extremely loud and nearly every seat was taken and everybody seemed to be enjoying themself, families, couples and groups. I figured that was a good sign and it signaled to me that the food was probably good! At first, the host wanted me to sit at the bar, which I politely declined because I don't usually sit at bars, also, I was there to eat, not pick up somebody! I noticed a small table open, pointed it out, and he kindly let me take it. No 'tude either! As far as my server goes, she was efficient, friendly, and very helpful with recommendations since it was my first visit and probably because I didn't look like the other customers who were more familiar with the cuisine. She suggested the pot stickers over the hot and sour soup, and the beef Chow Fun instead of chicken Chow Fun. The pot stickers were a little small, but crispy and very tasty. I also asked for some sweet and sour sauce on the side which I'm glad I did because it paired nicely with the pot stickers instead of that plain vinegar sauce they usually serve you. For my main dish, I ordered the char-grilled beef Chow Fun. The portion size was more than generous, and the char-grilled beef had a great umami flavor. A few of the rice noodles were a bit firm, likely undercooked, but overall though it was quite enjoyable. What I appreciated the most about Shang Noodle was the value. $18 for the beef Chow Fun and $9 for the pot stickers felt reasonable to me, considering it was on the dinner menu, the portion sizes were humongous and the restaurant was located on the Near North Side, which is usually quite pricey. I'll definitely be back, though next time I may try lunch instead, or go with friends of mine.

    China Cafe - chinese - Updated May 2026

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